A report from the Philadelphia Fed showed America's manufacturing sector is strongly bouncing back. Not only are firms reporting booming activity, strong shipments of goods and more unfilled orders, but jobs are being created at the highest rate in 38 years.

Some investment strategists say it's unwise to "fight the Fed." And right now, Chairman Bernanke wants investors to move into riskier assets, particularly stocks. But these strategists also point to pitfalls if investors aren't careful about how they shift assets.

China reported much higher-than-expected inflation in October as a jump in food costs drove its CPI to a 25-month high. The government will surely try again to further slow economic growth and reach its economic targets.

September's personal income and spending report provided more evidence of a U.S. economy that's suffering from a lack of demand. The poor report will likely support the argument of Fed officials who want to keep interest rates low and employ more quantitative easing.

Bernanke & Co.'s zero-interest-rate policy is backfiring or having even more pernicious results. Only the wealthy benefit from rising financial assets, as average Americans -- encouraged to add to their indebtedness -- are further impoverished. Risky speculation is again being rewarded.

One interesting aspect of the gold rush is that shares of gold-miners haven't skyrocketed along with the price of physical gold. So, one money pro offers his top-three gold-mining stock picks for investors who are still on the outside looking in.

Volatility started picking up in the last few sessions, and now that a downbeat Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has made another round of stimulus all but certain, traders are taking notice that things aren't nearly as good as they could be.